This is very good beach, and all filipino people use this cheap place for relaxing.
Staff is very friendly.
I will prefere this beach then other expensives beach with huge entrance fee.

Sabang Beach, Puerto Galera has a good variety of hotels and scuba diving facilities and is reasonably accessible from Manila for a short holiday. We booked a "dive & stay" package with Action Divers / Portofino Beach Resort; which meant either a low cost room or discounted diving, depending on how you look at it.

With the new toll-ways completed we drove from Manila to Batangas Port in just over an hour and left the car in the secured "park & ride" area; beside the Jam Lines bus from Pasay. It is a short walk to the left from the parking area to the Terminal Building; but through an onslaught of men promising assistance and discounts. Just ignore them.

Outside the secured Passenger Terminal building are the individual booths for each of the various banca-ferry companies and the even larger Si-Kat Catamaran ferry. Departure times are posted; but look carefully yourself for the NEXT departure time, or you may be sold a long wait. Buy your "port ticket" and pay your "environmental" fee and the total cost is about Ps280/pax. First / Last ferry from Batangas Port to Sabang Beach: 08:30 - 16:30.

Proceed through the X-ray machine into the secured terminal; which is comfortable enough with air-con, adequate seating and various food outlets. Sit near your exit-gate or listen for the tanoy-call for your particular boat. The crossing to Mindoro is about 1-hr. One of these bancas sank in 2010 with loss of life; so grab the nearest life-jacket (which make comfortable back-rests).

Someone will always want to carry your luggage on and off the boat for between Ps30-50/piece but, to avoid an argument later, make sure your cash offer is clear BEFORE handing over your luggage. The ferry will arrive at the unfinished "pier" at Sabang Beach; where you will be offered banca service to your resort. Small LaLaguna Beach is a Ps150-200 ride on a small banca (for 3-pax & 5-bags, including dive-gear).

At Portofina Resort we were offered a "double upgrade" from our standard room reservation to a one-bedroom suite; with all the mod-cons and a hearty breakfast included. Unlike a regular hotel, the individual units are owned by, well, individuals; and just rented-out by the resort management. Several units were for sale, but I was not tempted to ask for prices.

Our room was well maintained but rather dated looking, with dark floors, doors and cupboards. The bed was super comfortable and the a/c worked well. Parts of the resort were closed off or under repair; but we were strangely not disturbed by any work being done!

Action Divers is just steps away from Portofina resort on the beach-front. It is obviously a well run and very organised dive operation; offering three 45-minute dives per day; and a night dive if you want one. Every dive went off on time and divers joined and left daily.

From the resort it is a 10-minute walk into Sabang town proper where there are many restaurants, shops and the ubiquitious Disco Bars. There are also several nice restaurants nearby along Small La Laguna beach. We really ate a lot too much and the time went by much too quickly.

In summary the location was fine for us, we were comfortable enough, the staff was friendly, the food was OK and the diving was reliable. But the whole experience lacked any real class or zip ... for the money we were paying.

A friend and I booked the Portofino for a two day trip. Once we got to Puerto Galera, we loved it and the hotel so much that we ended up staying for five nights. The hotel is in a great location right on the beach in La Laguna. The atmosphere is very laid back and enjoyable, and we liked the two bedroom we booked very much. The manager was also very accommodating in extending our trip on short notice. All of the hotel staff were very helpful and enjoyable to be around. We had a great time and will definitely be staying at the Portofino on our next journey to Puerto Galera!

We just got back from an unbelievable trip to the Phillipines, that we really went into kind of blind. After spending a few days in Manilla and other parts of the Country, we made out way to Puerto Galera and to check into the Portofino Beach Resort. Upon checking in we were immediately taken care of by the staff and bartender. Gave us advice what to do and what not to do when it comes to shopping, eating, traveling, etc...The hotel staff was EXTREMELY accommodating from day and minute 1. By the second day, we met the owner/manager, Bill, who like us, was also American. Bill has lived in the both the States and abroad for many years and has done an absolute great job with this hotel. We spent a lot of time picking Bill's brain on how he made this transition and were very impressed with him and his hotel/staff. They are very good with putting everything you need/want on your Room bill so you don't need cash every time. (If you decide to visit Puerto Galera, you will understand the importance in this.....only 2 ATMs on the Island and they are NOT easy to get to!!) Many places you will run into here will not take credit card of any kind. Bill has no problem doing this and for a very small percentage. (I want to say 3% is all) He even went as far as to put all of our scuba diving bills on the end charge. We were referred to "Action Divers" which is only a few feet away from Portofino Resort, they also did not take credit card. But like I said, Bill knows the owners over there very well and they take care of it for you! The rooms were excellent in my opinion. They have an amazing water view, refrigerator, safe, Air conditioning, kitchens, Cable TV, and beds....what else could you want?!?! If you are expecting to find the Ritz Carlton in Puerto Galera....it does NOT exist ANYWHERE on this island. But the Portofino gives a great Island atmosphere with nice rooms! Oh, they also have a full menu and kitchen onsite! We ate everything from American to Filipino Foods....and they were all great. From talking to Bill, he plans on making this part of the resort even bigger and better in the near future.

All in all we absolutely loved it here. We were originally scheduled to stay 2 days and we ended up staying 6. If you have any questions about the rooms, scuba, things to go, places to go, or anything in between, Bill and his staff will take care of you. All star experience.